#3 Fix It Shorts. Should Britain Leave the European Union?: Steve Hilton

June 17, 2016 Richard Davies

Would Britain face lasting economic and political harm if it votes to quit the European Union in June 23rd's referendum? Our show looks at the case for Brexit.

Steve Hilton, one of David Cameron's closest friends and a former senior political advisor to the Prime Minister, is a leading member of the Vote Leave campaign. He tells us in this episode that a bureaucratic, over-centralized EU has become far too entangled in British life and is incapable of reform.

Richard and Jim disagree on the best outcome for Britain and Europe. They discuss some of the arguments for and against.

#2 Fix It Shorts: 2016 Presidential Campaign: Lessons From History. Sean Wilentz

June 15, 2016 Richard Davies

How many times have heard somebody say that the political campaign has reached a new low? How much worse is the 2016 race compared to previous elections?

We asked Princeton University Professor, Sean Wilentz, to give us a history lesson.

In his latest book, "The Politicians and the Egalitarians" Sean makes the case for pragmatism, arguing that politicians serve the country best through the art of compromise.

#1 Fix It Shorts. Solutions for Laws & Crazy Red Tape: Philip K. Howard

May 25, 2016 Richard Davies

It's the biggest issue of the Presidential campaign that the candidates are not talking about: bloated government and the poor delivery of services.

From very long TSA airport security lines to the dysfunction at your local DMV, our interactions with government can be extremely frustrating. Exceedingly complex rules and laws make things even worse.

For decades, Philip K. Howard has been a leading voice on how to streamline government and make it work for all of us. His latest book is "The Rule of Nobody: Saving America From Dead Laws and Broken Government." He's the founder of the good-government group, Common Good.

In this 12-minute episode of "Fix It Shorts," Philip gives alarming examples of how regulations have programmed officials and politicians of both parties to follow rigid rules that often leave very little room for human judgement.